We ventured out to Dockside while on vacation with family in Ocean Isle Beach. The restaurant is large with huge picture windows that overlook the docks. Our party of 8 was seated very quickly. They were not too busy on an early Tuesday evening, but our waitress must have been double or triple sat because she was running around doing the best she could to keep up. She was very friendly and we did not mind the delays because we were all socializing. Our party loved the complimentary hushpuppies because we had all been waiting all day to go out for a big Calabash style dinner. I felt like the fryer oil needed to be changed, and the whipped spread packages had not been refrigerated. Of course, that did not stop me from shoveling half a basket into my face because I was hungry, and it took a long time to order. I was pretty happy with my shrimp and fries when they arrived. Green beans were the side of the day. They tasted like canned beans with zero seasoning. Unfortunately, 3 of us got really sick later that evening. I assume it was the slaw because it was the one side that all 3 of us ate. Let me tell you, vomiting up slaw really sucks. If you want to risk it, get the smaller senior portion. We all took home half of our leftovers but had to throw them all away the next day. I hate wasting food, but I hate being sick way more. It is unfortunate because I really liked the place and would have returned annually. I wish I had looked at other reviews before going, but the family really wanted to go here because of good experiences for years prior. read more

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Unfortunately things have not improved since our last visit. I think this will unfortunately be our last visit to Dockside. Fish was dry, shrimp were cooked in old grease and the green beans were unseasoned. I think the slaw was starting to turn and our poor waitress just couldn't keep up. One star for new i.p.a options. read more

Horrible service, average and cold food. Never again! The wait was well over an hour and a half and we were skipped over "accidentally" according to the hostess as someone had scratched our name off the waiting list saying they seated us. read more

Family tradition for over 20 years. Kids have all grown up getting their pictures made in front of the iconic tree! This year is no different only added a couple grandkids and grandchild to be ! Food delicious and service is always friendly and fast ! See you again next time ! read more

Dockside Seafood House - A growing family - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Really liked this place. Came to the area to go to the Waterfront Cafe, but they couldn't accommodate our party of 14 so we landed here instead. They quickly pushed tables together and took our drink orders. One waitress handled the whole party, and did a phenomenal job. Started with a side salad with blue cheese dressing. The salad was good, but the dressing was outstanding! Big chunks of blue cheese. Had the seafood deluxe platter. Came out on a small plate which had me scratching my head, but it turned out to be more food than anyone could eat. Also got the vegetable of the day, baked beans. Never considered baked beans a vegetable, but after doctoring up with some hot sauce and ketchup, they were very good. read more

Dockside Seafood House - a plate of food - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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The most disappointing meal! We had a party of 13 and were seated pretty quickly. That was the best think of the evening. Most of us ordered seafood and two ordered steaks. Should have had a clue when the waitress recommend the steaks FIRST before any seafood, which she swore was fresh. Debatable! I had blackened shrimp and scallops. They were cold and the scallops were not cooked all the way through. The steaks were tough and not cooked the way they were ordered. The others that had fried seafood said they were cold and mushy. That will be our last time there. read more

I was surprised that there was no one seated at the bar but happy enough for the peace and quiet. Oysters are amazing and huge!! Lobster Ravioli with loads of shrimp was good but maybe a cream based sauce as opposed to a tomato base would be my suggestion. Staff was super friendly!! read more

Dockside Seafood House - Oyster appetizer. They're huge!! - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

The shrimp and oyster combo meal was very good - fresh and flavorful. The boiled shrimp and fried flounder combo was tasty and plentiful. Very good service, attentive and polite. The restaurant was clean, light, and airy - very pleasant. read more

The waitress was super sweet! The food was definitely like Golden Corral level of frozen foods. We alll had stomachs issues afterwards and one of my family spent the night throwing up. read more

We usually eat at Dockside when we travel to the beach. We love the atmosphere and the service. We had shrimp, flounder and deviled crab. All was delicious!! Our waitress was very busy but did a fantastic job. read more

Amazing and fresh seafood, super friendly staff, and fast service. Always a staple when for summer vacation.

To start off I want to say that my waitress, Stephanie, was very personable and friendly. My son and my grandson ordered the fried shrimp. I ordered the Senior fried shrimp and stuffed crab. Needless to say, the shrimp was not good. It tasted like it had been fried in last week's grease. I did mention this to my waitress so that she could speak to the cook. This is the 2nd time in two months that I have eaten there. The first time I went with my sisters. One of my sister's ordered the scallops. They had to be returned twice because they were undercooked/raw. I have finally learned my lesson. I will not be going back! Now I know why there wasn't a long line waiting to go in. All the other seafood restaurants were lined up outside waiting for a table. read more

The service is always great and the food is excellent! Been going there for years and plan on doing so every time we visit Myrtle Beach! read more

Dockside Seafood House - Simply amazing Seafood! - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

New to area. Ordered takeout (shrimp platters). Thought mine had a funny taste , but figured it was me. Wife said hers had strange taste as well. Could not tell if it was old oil or something in the oil but was not taking a chance. Cole slaw was good, with plenty of options , think we will opt out of this one in the future. read more

Probably among the worst fried seafood I've ever eaten. The favor from the grease had an old over used stale taste. The fries were just grease sticks however the side salad was crisp and fresh my wife said her blackened salmon was good. On the bright side our server was attentive. Our first and last visit to this restaurant when in Calabash area there many other much better restaurants to eat at. read more

Our family ate at Dockside last year during our annual Sunset Beach vacation and we went again today with a party of 12 adults and 5 kids. Both times we've had a great experience. We were seated almost immediately, and the servers were SO friendly, efficient and accommodating. They never seemed overwhelmed by our large party, and got everyone's order correct. The food and drinks came out quickly, and everything tasted great. Highly recommend! read more

Food was good for the price. The service was lacking. Server seemed overwhelmed by the large number of diners. The view of the River was spectacular. read more

Food was wonderful. Lightly breaded and cooked perfectly. Service was great. Very attentive. Always an enjoy when we go there.

This was the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at. Only positive thing about this place was the friendliness of the staff. The food is worse than cafeterias. The presentation is unappealing. I sent my dinner back and honestly could not eat anything there. Ever dish at our table was terrible and lack any appeal. read more

Food was respectable, but it wasn't the best lobster I've ever had, all tho it was certainly tasty for the price. Service was quick and effective. The decor was also very appealing. read more

Huge portions and well-cooked food. Hush puppies were a highlight. Service was excellent. Some water dripped on us from a vent above, but it had just rained pretty hard. Good experience, we would come back. read more

My family of 22 ate here last night. We've been coming here for more than 40 years every summer. It's a tradition to head to Calabash once for dinner and to hit up StNicks Nacks for whatever the grandkids can find to drop their vacation money on. When I was a child we actually made it here, to Dockside specifically, twice a week because it was so good. The last few years it has not been great. Last night was awful. The service was spotty, several orders were incorrect, and it tasted bad. The fried food had a rancid oil taste. I literally could not eat it. My son's salmon wasn't fully cooked/cold in the middle. Why he ordered salmon in NC I do not know. We have often said this will be our last time coming to Dockside. This time we mean it. read more

On vacation heard this place had good food with that being said I got the broild seafood platter, which was extremely watery and tasteless. Shrimp looked like cocktail shrimp from a bag, scallops about the size of the end of your thumb, deviled crab tasted like past. Spent $50.00 for dinner for two left hunger than when when I arrived lots of other places available do your research so you don't have the same experience as I did Will never go back read more

I don't really post many food reviews but the food at this place was so nasty I just felt like I needed to warn people before they spent $20-30 on a plate here. The staff was very friendly but it was honestly the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. It was inedible. Everyone at my table had different entrees such as the fried shrimp, blackened Mahi, prime rib sandwich, fried flounder, different sides, and there was nothing cooked correctly, not even the baked potato I honestly felt like I was in a Kitchen Nightmares episode it was that bad. read more

Food was bland and the fries were hollow plus the food came out in 5 minutes a little to quick to be made there definitely pre made. atmosphere was nothing. Nobody was there and it's open carpet and no booths. read more

Another great dinner and the staff is always very pleasant and helpful. I had the scallops - a very nice portion! I recommend The Dockside! read more

Dockside Seafood House - Fried Scallops Baked Potato Cole Slaw - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

Sooooo. Rob is fired for all things in regard to recommendations on sea food and Myrtle beach cuisine. As we meandered through the sea of seafood restaurants we couldn't help but notice that most establishments had quite a large crowd of patrons awaiting their tables. You might think the almost empty restaurant of the Dockside might have been a good sign.....we just tooo hungry to listen. Service was fine but the aggressively mediocre food was over priced and left us contemplating going to a second location to eat dinner again. Perks: quick seating as everyone else ate elsewhere. Live music was decent considering the mistro was missing a digit or two. No mosquitos and chillax Geriatric vibes. Cons: no oysters available. Clam chowder was prob just Campbells watered down. (Can be fixed by adding all edible condiments and seasonings on table) barley. Aggressively mediocre Pumpoon and Stain train out...... read more

Went for the first time to this restaurant and although the waitstaff (Wendy) was very nice and the restaurant was clean and pleasant to be in the food seemed as though our meals were frozen and thrown in a fryer to heat up. Our friends meals as well as ours were ready in under 8 minutes (stuffed flounder and grilled salmon) and we had fried scallops and oysters that lacked flavor. The French fries were greasy and didn't taste well at all. Although the staff were nice to chat with, we won't be giving this place a second chance. Should have paid attention to only a handful of cars in the lot after passing another restaurant that was packed at the top of the street. read more

Not sure why Dockside has a medium rating. We, as a family have been coming to OIB for over 30 years. Dockside has always been a stop for dinner! The fresh seafood is consistent! The wait staff is so kind and respectful! The food never changes, consistently great! They have added some decent beers to their menu (local IPAs) and added a patio which offers live music! Do not miss this opportunity if you are in the area! read more

There are too many good seafood places around to go here. The location is great with a beautiful view but the food is not good at all. The fish was not seasoned at all. All the food was very bland. My wife's shrimp was tasteless and over cooked. The green beans tasted like they where just poured from a can and warmed up. No seasoning whatsoever. This great location and view deserves a much better restaurant. read more

Wow. I'm not even sure how this place continues to stay in business. The food is awful. The flounder was over cooked. The boiled shrimp tasted like it was from the frozen bags from Walmart. The rib-eye was super fatty and not cooked as we ordered. The green beans were straight out of a can and the slaw was more like a drink. On the bright side, the chicken sandwich was edible and I have some expensive bait. Talk about buyers remorse. $80 later (for my family of 4) and I'm wishing I would have just chosen pizza. read more

Food was good and well portioned. Staff was short handed. However, they worked hard and did a good job. Ambiance is good, nice view over looking the bay. read more

Dined here last week while on vacation. Everything was excellent (food & service), just as expected! Party of 12 (7 adults and 5 children) all were completely satisfied with their meals. I would rate it with 10 stars if that were possible! Have been taking our family and friends here for the last 37 years and have NEVER been disappointed! Their food is absolutely consistent over the years; in addition to providing the BEST seafood experience around (taste, portion value, and service), their hush puppies and tartar sauce & cocktail sauce are simply out of sight; no one else's can even compare!!!! Our waitress this time, Gabby, was awesome - she was very prompt, efficient, courteous, and also very personable! This is the ONLY seafood restaurant we patronize when we vacation at the beach (Cherry Grove). Best seafood restaurant for many miles around. Try it, you won't be disappointed! read more

Very, very friendly staff. Ample parking with nice view of the nearby dock. Calabash seafood is good in Calabash, North Carolina.

This has been a family favorite of ours as long as we have ever been vacationing in myrtle beach . Portions are always generous and food is always yummy . Sweet tea is also very good . We always walk into the pier and take a few family vacation photos while we're waiting to be seated . Definitely worth the wait ! You get what you pay for ! read more

Dockside Seafood House - Outside dockside in front of the tree for our traditional family photo - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Went at prime dinner time around 6-7pm on a Friday. Server was sweet lady. Ordered the seafood combo plate. The entire order was horrible. All the food was soggy and overcooked. Wife ordered a separate seafood plate and it was equally terrible. Probably the worst seafood I have ever had. Didn't finish the meal. Absolute disgrace to charge over $30 for that. It is sad the best part of this seafood dinner was the Mac and Cheese we ordered for our son. Would not recommend this restaurant and we will not be back. read more

I really don't like giving 1 star reviews, but I'm stuck between and 1 and 2 so let's say 1.5. I see Cap'n Nance's is a 3; I had a much better dining experience there than at Dockside. And I've ate at Dockside before, wasn't impressed then and I'm still not impressed. Gosh, is it asking too much for there to be silverware at your table before you sit down, instead of getting it after the food is delivered to your table?? My flounder was okay but my better half's was definitely not okay, way overcooked., though she did say she liked the scallops. The hush puppies were underwhelming. The shrimp and deviled crab were pretty blah. Tell you what, given that you are in "calabash", just seems like these places should all be at the top of their game, and this just didn't happen. If you do eat here, I hope your experience is better than mine :) read more

Prices have gone up a lot. I know that's it is a lot to do with current economic situation. With that price you seem to get less portions as the numerous times I have eaten there before. Food is great though. Service is great. Clean place. read more

Friendly restaurant along the NC/SC state lines. The restaurant looks like it sits on the water but it's a little bit away from it. Stuck with the fried seafood deluxe platter. The fish was a bit over cooked but everything else was very tasty. read more

Dockside Seafood House - Hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Calabash, North Carolina

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Disappointed in our longtime favorite. The service was terrible, I had to go to the kitchen for our drinks and some of our order. The deviled crab is good as are the boiled shrimp. The cocktail sauce is wonderful, not like the junk most have. They don't add cilantro or pickle relish to it. Why in the hell would anyone do that. read more